Josh Hart has been a champion for about two weeks. He’s still figuring out what to do with himself. So he went to a World Cup match. Specifically the one where Erling Haaland reminded everyone that human beings can do things that don’t make visual sense.
Norway beat Brazil 2-1 on Sunday in the Round of 16. Haaland scored both goals in the second half. And Hart, the Knicks guard who just helped New York win its first NBA title in 53 years, was in the stands taking it all in. He didn’t overthink his review.
“Haaland is an animal,” Hart wrote on social media.
That’s it. That’s the review. No analytics. No tactical breakdown. Just a guy who plays professional basketball at the highest level watching someone else do the same thing with a soccer ball and a different set of rules.
Hart’s weirdly great offseason so far
It’s been a month for Hart. He averaged 10.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists during the playoffs as the Knicks swept through the East and then beat the San Antonio Spurs in five games in the Finals. The franchise had not won a title since 1973. So yeah, he’s earned the right to wander around watching World Cup games in his spare time.
He played 66 regular-season games this year, averaging 12 points on solid efficiency while doing the kind of dirty work that doesn’t always show up in box scores but does show up in championship banners. New York finished 53-29, secured the No. 3 seed, and then went 16-3 in the playoffs including a 13-game win streak that ended in a parade route.
The Knicks head into the offseason with their core intact. They’ll need to fill out the second unit, and they have the draft and free agency to do it. But that’s an August problem. Right now Hart is watching Haaland turn Brazil’s defense into a suggestion.
Two goals. Both in the second half. One of them probably sent a few Brazilian TV commentators into retirement early. Hart had a front-row seat and gave the only reaction that made sense.
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